A Super Bowl advert for Groupon, the online voucher company, has been accused
of making light of the suffering of the Tibetan people.

By Laura Roberts

9:14AM GMT 07 Feb 2011

The company, which offers cut-price goods and services when internet users buy en masse, aired the commercial during breaks in last night's game, which was watched by an estimated 100 million people.

Advertising slots are highly sought after and cost $3 million for 30 seconds.

In the Groupon advert the actor Timothy Hutton says: “The people of Tibet are in trouble, their very culture in jeopardy”, in apparent reference to the Chinese government's refusal to accept the Himalayan region's autonomy.

But then he adopts a more jovial tone, noting that Tibetans are still able to “whip up a great fish curry”, and that "since 200 of us bought at Groupon.com, we're each getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15."

The light-hearted reference to Tibet's political turmoil failed to impress some viewers, who took to Twitter and other social network sites to express their displeasure.

Groupon was forced to issue a statement explaining the decision behind the campaign.

Rohit Bhargava, a marketing expert from Ogilvy in Washington, awarded the company "Worst Marketing Strategy" of the night.

Writing on his blog he said: "Groupon is a brilliant site with an amazing team behind it. I have corresponded personally with their team and know for a fact that the organisation is filled with dedicated and personable employees ... which makes their Super Bowl effort even more disappointing.

"Without the context of the thinking behind the ad, their 30 second spot in isolation came off as offensive, amateurish and insensitive."

Andrew Mason, Groupon's founder, defended the advert and said: "The gist of the concept is this: When groups of people act together to do something, it’s usually to help a cause. With Groupon, people act together to help themselves by getting great deals. So what if we did a parody of a celebrity-narrated, PSA-style commercial that you think is about some noble cause (such as “Save the Whales”), but then it’s revealed to actually be a passionate call to action to help yourself (as in “Save the Money”)?"

Groupon is offering discounted donation vouchers to The Tibet Fund, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and Build On where people who spend $15 donating to charity receive $15 of Groupon credit.

Despite this it appeared that the company could lose subscribers from outraged viewers.

Bodhipaksa tweeted: "Hey, #Groupon. I just saw your Superbowl ad online. What a despicable way to trivialize the suffering of and oppression of an entire people."